


Black coffee with extra sugar

by berrynthewood



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cafe AU, Dorks working together, Gen, Humor, I tried to throw some canon into it, Part-time job, So Cross's still an ass, student life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21617008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berrynthewood/pseuds/berrynthewood
Summary: When Allen passed the front door that day, he wasn't prepared to meet the weirdest and funiest coworkers of all time.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	1. For a pessimist, I'm pretty optimistic

**Author's Note:**

> Here comes a day when I'm thinking “Hey, each new DGM chapter drags us to hell everytime, really Hoshino, don't you ever want your characters to be happy ? Don't they need some hot cocoa and a blanket ? Where is the humor ? Actually, where is the story leading us to ? Also, where is Lavi ?”  
> No complaining, I love her and her story so far and I'm reading it since the beginning (God I was so young back then) but I wanted to have a little fun writing something crazy and I decided to share it with you. Brace yourself, I'm not an english native speaker but I'm working on getting better :)

That was supposed to be a simple job interview.

If someone ever told him he would get threatened by a cooking knife over a basic greeting in a fancy gothic café, he would’ve laugh it off. But then again, Allen knows he wasn't such a person gifted with luck.

Actually, all of it started a week ago.

He had just begun to take classes at a new specific school after working his ass off for months to pass the entrance exam. He finally settled down in a brand new flat – a tiny one but still comfy – and started to enjoy a grasp of freedom.

Having no parents – maybe it was because of that weird scared arm of his - Allen used to live with Cross Marian, his caretaker. He raised him willingly even though his education standards were far from what you would expect for someone supposed to handle a child. Also, Allen wasn't that surprised when Cross vanished one fine morning with just a note left on the table.

‘I'm out for a long journey. Huge job to take care of. Do whatever you want in the meantime.’

Allen had frowned at the bad handwriting until he flipped the note and found another tiny line on the reverse side.

‘P.S.: I took all the food.’

That, was maybe the worst part. Apologize ommited. A charming human being indeed.

But Allen was an optimistic and a strongly resourceful person. He managed to earn some money by his ways (not a decent one but who cares) while attending school and finally started to feel like a normal teenager for the first time in his life. But fate can be quite a bitch and it didn't last long.

One day – a week before the fated interview - he was called out of class by the headmaster. And sure, everyone had stared at him instantly with suspicious eyes. Worry started to grow in his stomach when they made their way to his office through the quiet hallways. The headmaster wasn’t so old but started to get bald and thin trails of skin were slowly growing on each side of his scalp, drawing closer and closer the day where his grey hair would definitely be gone. He usually had a friendly welcoming aura overall so when an heavy silence hung in the room as they sat face to face, Allen’s knew it wasn’t for a simple formality. Thus, the usual friendly smile turned on a blank, almost troubled expression on the old man face. He cleared his throat and Allen straightened up instantly.

“Mr Walker, it really pains me to announce it like this but... it seems like your account to cover this semester tuition fees couldn't be versed.”

Allen stared in disbelief for a second, tilting his head slightly before opening his mouth “I don't understand...”

The old man rubbed a hand on his neck nervously and sighed.

“I will get straight to the point, I can give you an extra delay to clear up your situation because your a good student but you'll have to pay by the end of the month. I’m afraid I can't do anything more.”

Allen felt his face burning with shame as his brain tried to catch up. “I... I will, Sir.” He almost stuttered, eyes falling to the ground.

“Good. I'm counting on you, then.” There was warmth in the man’s voice and it eased Allen a bit. As he was still subbornly looking away, the headmaster added : “If, for some reason there are some trouble going on on the private side of your life, know that the teachers are here to listen too, okay ?»

"Off you go, then."

Allen's mind went overdrive on his way home – he didn't have courage to return to class – he tried to understand how it could happened. He made sure he had some saving before applying for his studies and his loan wasn't so high either, he wasn't so carefree.

Back to his room, he pulled out his phone to check his bank account. He had to refresh the web page five times to believe it: all his precious money almost vanished, a small part remaining to eventually cover vital issues. _What the fuck ?_ Allen kept staring at the screen when a sudden realization kicked in: there was only one person in the world capable of doing that. Clenching his teeth, he dialed Cross's number. He waited, anger boiling up inside. No answer. He tried third time in a row. Of course he wasn't going to pick up, that fellow. Allen tossed his phone on the bed and raked his fingers through his white hair. His stomach grumbled. Great, now he was both angry AND hungry.

Allen tried to call back Cross as much as possible in the following days with no success. He started to go job-hunting, scrolling by every small ads and job opportunities but there were always an inconvenient. Sometimes the pay was high enough but the work schedules didn't match with his studies and sometimes it was the other way around, part-time jobs weren't allowing an underaged person to work a huge amount of time per week. In the end, he didn't find anything. It was depressing.

When he came back from school this friday evening completely worn out by this whole situation, he suddently came across the building's guardian waiting for him by his door. Allen immediately put on his best fake smiling face and greeted him “Good evening to you mister, can I help you with something ?”

His presence was unusual and he wanted to cut short the wait before hearing another bad news. Moreover, that man was always eyeing his left arm with a glint of disgust.

“Oh, Mr Walker, we received a letter for you. The postman said it was an urgent matter so I had to take it myself... can you sign up here please ? I'll give the receive back to the office”. The guardian handed him a simple red letter bearing his name and Allen took it hesitantly before signing the receive. His unlucky week seemed to have no end. He could obviously recognize his tutor's writing on that piece of paper.

“Thank you” he bowed slightly to the guardian and fled to his room, closing the door behind him.

_What was Cross thinking ? Sending a letter ? Is that how you give news in the 21_ _th_ _century ?_ He was the worst. Allen opened the letter with apprehension and trembling hands, as if it could bite, and unfolded the piece of paper tucked inside.

_Allen,_

  
  


_I can't talk to you on the phone._

_It seems like I underestimated my expence for this trip and I run out of money in the middle of it._

_I took some of your saving by the way._

_I made a recommandation at some place for you to work. A certain man named Komui will wait for you there this Saturday at 4 pm. You will find the address at the bottom. Time to grow up a bit._

_Don't try to call._

_Cross Marian_

Allen kept reading the mere words without blinking until his eyes were stinging. It was worst than everything he imagined. “Grow up a bit ?!” he roared to himself “Right back at you !” he collapsed on the bed, his arms covering his upper-face.

After some time, he held the letter in front of him and stared at the address written in small characters. It wasn't so far away from school. He took a breath and sighed heavily. _Guess I have no choice_.

When the sun hit his face this Saturday morning, waking him up, Allen felt sore. Like that time when Cross made him eat chocolates with liquor as a joke. The boy grimaced at the memory. He rolled on his stomach and burried his head in the pillow.

He choose not to have any expectation about today's interview. His chances were so slim and he couldn't avoid having some insecurities with everything related to his messed up caretaker. Despite his thought, time went incredibly fast. Near 3 pm, he choose some plain clothes – not that he had many anyways – and headed for the fated meeting.

It was a cold automn day but at last it was sunny. Allen pulled on his hood to cover his reddening ears. He choose to hide his hands with leather gloves for the day, just in case.

After a fifteen minutes walk, he came across the right place. There were no name on the storefront, just two wide windows framed with dark linings, entrance standing in between. Coming closer, he noticed that gothic ornamental mouldings were decorating the facade. It could have been a suspicious vampires den if it wasn't open in broad daylight and bathed with sunlight, Allen thought. He stood by the black door, still weighing the pros and cons. Unfortunately, he clearly hadn't the luxury to back off. He pinched his nose, throwed his hood back and opened the door. The shop's bell tinkled when he came in. Allen was stunned. It wasn't so old-fashioned. It was a mix of modern and simple wooden tables and chairs with some random objects from the nineteenth century garnishing the room. There were two large chandeliers lightening the place with electric bulbs and each corner was furnished with a sofa. All of it gave out a great feeling of cosyness.

Still, Allen was alone. No customers, no employees. Or so he thought. In a split second, he saw something moving by his side. He didn't had the time to face the person standing next to him when he saw with horror a ridiculously huge kitchen knife pointed toward him. Allen froze on the spot. The man was maybe one or two years older than him. He was tall, with asian features and had long black hair tied up in a ponytail.

“Who the hell are you ?!” he radiated with murderous intent and his eyes were shooting daggers.

Well, if that guy was Komui, he was definitly screwed...

It was a shitty week indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell yeah ! I'm sorry I'm not being kind with cinnamonroll Allen but I promise he will be happy in this ;)  
> This chapter and the next one work as a kind of prologue. Each others chapters will be treated as a single story with little connections between them.  
> Feel free to share any recommandation :)
> 
> Berry


	2. You can't always get what you want

“Who the hell are you ?!”

“I-I'm Allen Walker. I'm coming for the job interview !” he threw his hands in the air in a surrending pose. The man's eyes narrowed but his hand holding the knife wasn't moving away from Allen's neck.

“I'm not buying it” he growled, unwaved “I will check this personnally”. The edge of the blade inched forward by a few centimeters.

“W-w-w-wait !!” Allen stepped back but he was cornered between the closed door and the raging boy. _Great, what a pathetic end. Slaughtered by a madman in a gothic café_. He closed his eyes in anticipation “I'm sent by Cross Marian !!”. He throwed his master's name in a last hope. _Ironic_.

He hissed when he heard a weird _KLANK_ followed by a feminine voice.

“Kanda, stop it already !”

Allen opened his eyes slowly. There was indeed a girl standing right behind his assailant. She was grabbing what must have been that _Kanda_ 's elbow by one hand, pulling down the weapon, the other holding a large iron platter which was certainly responsible for the loud knocking noise. She had a cute face and wore asian's features too. Her long silky dark hair was pulled up by two bunches.

“What was that for ?!” Kanda rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. _Oh, she really did hit him with her platter then, alright._

“I already told you not to jump on every newcomer !” she scolded, cheeks puffed.

“Well, he IS weird ! Look at him ! With that white hair of his !”

_Weird ?_ Allen was used to people looking at him strangely. But that Kanda was being so rude. Just who was the one about to slice him in two a minute ago ?

“Come on, don't be so stubborn, let him the chance to introduce himself at least” she stepped between them and smiled “Hi ! I'm Lenalee Lee” she raised a hand in greeting. Allen stared at it blankly.

“OI ! Do you think we have all day, you punk ?!”

Allen got startled. It was Kanda again, spiting his frustration. Lenalee shoved her elbow to his side to make him stop ranting. Allen finally gave her a handshake and a rather shy smile.

“I'm Allen Walker. My caretaker Cross Marian told me to come here and meet a certain Komui...”

“Ah ! I thought so ! Cross was a regular here, before disappearing to nowhere...” the girl pulled Allen's sleeve “Come in, take a seat, I will bring my brother to you”

*

“Alright, now you just have to sign up there !”

“Wait a minute !”

Allen's brain was running in full speed, trying to digest everything he heard since the beginning of what seemed like the most awkward job interview in the whole human history. At least, the man offered some tea and a bunch of cakes in apology for Kanda's behaviour.

“What ? I don't see any problem there, right ?” the man flashed him a huge grin.

Komui Lee was a phenomenon. Barely thirty years old. A mix of malice and genuine kindness were lightening his eyes and he seemed way too laid-back to run a business.

In a span of fifteen minutes he explained to Allen that he could work here part-time without interfering with his studies, that he could provide him with a room upstairs in a dormitory arranged especially for the student's staff and it would cost him half of his current loan. Too good to be true.

“If it's a joke from Cross, I don't find it funny at all...” he sighed, tired.

Komui's smile faded out, a sudden serious expression painting his face.

“Actually, this place is kind of special...” he tapped the handle of his teacup in resignation “and I think you could fit in here, really”

“Because I'm weird ?” Allen crossed his arms and frowned in defense, suddenly very self-conscious of his scarred arm and ghostly white hair.

“Is that what you think of us ?” pointed out Komui, half smiling.

“I-I didn't...” Allen stuttered, his cheeks redenning at his own boldness. He didn't really meant it. _Well, maybe except for Mister I-will-slice-you-in-half-as-a-welcome-just-to-be-sure-you-are-human-or-not.._. Yet, the Lee siblings didn't gave any sign of being bad persons.

“Truth is... I'm finding it hard to believe” he ducked his head down, playing nervously with his left glove “Why would you go to such lengths for me ?”

“Well, you were recommended by Cross Marian. We can't complain about providing him a small service” Allen met Komui's eyes “He happens to be one of our main donators”

His jaw dropped. That man was _giving out_ money ? The same guy who actually robbed him almost to the last remaining penny. It was becoming more and more confusing. He let out a nervous laugh.

“I... really don't know what to think...”

“What about giving it just a try ? Just a week ?” Komui rested his head upon the back of his hand, his gaze still holding Allen's one “You could get to know the place and make some acquaintances” he chuckled softly “My staff is quite lively, you won't be bored”.

Allen couldn't help but feeling relieved by those words. Being cornered wasn't improving his mental health, quite shaken by the recent events.

He had to pay the tuition fees in two weeks. This could do it for the time being.

“Two weeks. As a trial. If it's possible. I'm sure you know about my situation anyway”

Komui was grinning from ear to ear, looking as excited as if he was the one being employed.

“Deal !” he winked, rather proud of himself “You won't regret it, believe me”

Allen's mouth turned slightly up at the corners but his eyes were hardly smiling.

_I hope so_.

*

When he walked out of the café, it was already dark. He spend an eternity reading the working contract, to make sure there wasn't anything tricky. Like being sold off to some foreign country. No joke, he was rather unlucky this days and could think of the worst case scenario.

He checked his schedule for the upcoming week. He had his first shift on monday morning before school and the next one in tuesday afternoon. The rest of the week was organized according to his classes. There was one late night shift on saturday wich draw attention to Allen. He would have assumed it was only opened in daylight hours...

He pushed his thougts appart and focused on relaxing a little.

On a second note, the cakes were really good. He was looking forward to sneak a little in the kitchen.

It couldn't be so bad, as long as he didn't end up working with Kanda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the crazy crew !  
> Thanks for reading and let's get ready for the following events ;)
> 
> Berry


	3. Knife to meet you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been such a long time...
> 
> I've been so busy with private matters and creating fics for another fandom that I completely dropped this one for a while...  
> Thank you for your few comments, they may seems futile to you but they're cheering me up a lot to carry on :)
> 
> Anyway, let's go for some more stupid chaos !

Monday came sooner than expected.

Yesterday, Allen tried to concentrate on his studies but his mind was pretty set on Saturday's events. He still found it quite unbelivable. And why the hell did he not run away ? Maybe because of the cake after all. His stomach would always win...

He got dressed, head still in a daze but got immediatly woken up by the icy wind slapping his face as he stepped outside. Somehow, he remembered the path to the café perfectly fine. The streets were almost empty and Allen wondered if they would have many customers by the opening hours. And what _kind_ of customers ?

Allen sighed to himself. _Please, let it go smoothly for today at least..._

He arrived ten minutes before his shift was supposed to start and, passing by the window, he noticed a shadow moving in the back, through the dim light of the room. Apparently, he wasn't the first one. Allen grabbed the door's handle and lowered it... to no effect at all. It was closed shut. He stared at the wooden door in disbelief. _What the ?..._

Was there a backdoor ? Komui didn't specified it... No, he was pretty sure he told him to go the normal way...

Allen knocked the door with frantic hits. If he wanted to be heard at least by someone indoor, he had to be loud enough. But after a few rounds of knocking the door, Allen's hand started to feel numb. _It must be a joke._

He stepped aside and stuck his forehead to the glass window decorating the store's front, hoping to know what was going on inside. He furrowed his eyes, hands framing his face. There was indeed someone, standing behind the counter, his back to Allen. He seemed to polish something with a towel. _He or she ?_

Allen tried to focus more on the busy person. Lean. Long black hair. Ponytail. An uncomfortable feeling crept immediatly in his stomach.

_Stop being so dramatic, it could be Lenalee-chan..._

He knocked firmly on the glass to draw attention on him.

And then, the person finally turned around.

It wasn't Lenalee. It was mister Knife.

_Great._

Allen swallowed his pride and gave him the best smile he could while pointing a finger toward the closed door, expecting Kanda would open it for him. It would be the most normal thing to do right ?

But Kanda was staring blankly without moving an inch.

"The door ! Please !" Allen cried against the window.

His eyes went wide when Kanda raised an eyebrow and unceremoniously turned back to his previous activity, completely ignoring the poor boy outside.

_That bastard._

Allen's disbelief gave way to bubbling anger. A quick look at his watch told him he was now running late and it wasn't in his ethics rules. He rackled his fingers through his hair in frustration when a sudden idea came in his mind.

He walked along the building searching for a way in and finally spotted a narrow window at feet level. _Bingo_. He reckoned earlier on that the kitchen could be half-underground. And luckily, it was slightly open, a warm and sweet chocolate smell escaping from the overture. Still, it was damn small and when Allen opened it wide, the ground was close to ten feet below.

Allen sighed heavily. _No choice then_.

He laid down completely on the cold pavements, on his stomach, and swang his legs first by the window. Carefully, he slid his body through the - clearly illegal - entrance. His legs where still hanging in emptyness when the only parts remaining outside were his fingers grasping the window's frame.

How Kanda would have loved to see him like this. Swinging like a piece of clothes hanging on a string, drying by the wind. He took a deep breath to steady himself, gathering his courage and let go of the window on a brief impulse, eyes closed.

To his relief, his feet hit the kitchen counter but he almost fell at the violent contact and his hand quickly grabbed a limp thing by his side by reflex to keep his balance. Allen stayed still for mere seconds, allowing his heartbeat to calm down.

"What are you doing here ?"

Allen jumped at the close sound and turned his head abrutly. The limp thing was actually an arm. Which belonged to a tall dark-skinned man. His black hair were kept tied in two long braids slidding down on each shoulder and he was wearing a sleeveless chef's overall. To top it all, a pair of sunglasses was hiding his eyes.

A lot of thoughts were running in Allen's mind at the moment. _Is that the famous chief ? Does Komui fancy long black hair ? How come someone looking so rough could bake such amazingly sweet cakes ? Is he a delinquent trying to find a new job ? Will I be slauthered right now for trespassing ? If the answer is yes, please, I don't want Kanda to be in charge... Is there ANYONE kinda normal in there ? Wait, no, maybe Lenalee could be..._

"Boy, are you going down or not ?" the man's voice was unexpectedly high pitched and genuinely soft. It didn't match his physic at all, to Allen's surprise.

"Uh ?"

Oh, that's right, he was still standing on an unknown kitchen counter - that was rude enough - and he was staring back bluntly at the man who unintentionally saved him from landing hard on the ground.

Allen let go of the man's arm as if it burnt him and came down safely.

"Thank you..." he said, head ducking down shamefully "I-I'm sorry"

"You're the new waiter ?" the man smiled warmly, without an once of anger.

"Eh ? How did you know ?"

"Komui told us. He said you had white hair. But to think you came falling here through my window... That's quite a surprise !" he pointed out, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips. Allen grimaced, still uncomfortable about the whole thing.

"Uhm... once again, I'm sorry" he extended a hand to the man "I'm Allen Walker"

"Nice to meet you Allen-kun” the man shook the offered hand ”I'm Jeryy, in charge of the kitchen here" he gestured to the multiple ovens, hotplates, and the two huge fridges garnishing the room. A large working surface was planted on the center, with two double sinks.

The sweet chocolate scent Allen had smelt outside was coming directly from one of the oven and he spotted a circular mould inside.

Jeryy noticed the boy's look immediately “It's today's speciality, black forest cake” he grinned proudly “I was about to make the whipped cream for it when you fell from the sky”

Allen's eyes litteraly twinkled “It looks amazing !”

“Mmh, I can save you a piece for the end of your shift if you want”

“REALLY ?!” the boy whipped his head toward the chief, almost drooling already. The sight made Jeryy burst out laughing, amazed by the younger's excitement.

“Yeah. Let's consider it a welcoming gift from me.”

Allen wanted to cry of hapinness. Even over a simple offering of food. _Aaah thanks God, this place wasn't totally doomed after all_.

“Now, you should change yourself, customers will be there shortly. You will find your uniform in the locker room through this corridor.” Jeryy pointed a finger behind Allen who emerged from his thoughts.

“Oh, right !” he rushed to exit the kitchen, turning one last time to face the cook “Thank you so much Jeryy-san !”

The man, who was already back at his task behind the counter, waved his hand back “No problem boy”

*

Allen got changed in less than two minutes, adrenaline boosting his movements. He runned up the stairs and almost bumped into Kanda at the room's entrance, stopping just in time to prevent the crash.

“Ah, sor-”

"You're late, Moyashi" Kanda interruped him coldly. His eyes scanned him from head to toes and he let out a disrespectful snort before going back to his business. Allen gaped, not quite believing it.

_Is he actually serious ? He just did it in purpose right ? It wasn't just my imagination ?And, is that my new nickname ?_

Allen's eyes narrowed in disapproval but he choose to ignore him, keeping his forces for his work. Whatever, he prefered thinking of the sweet cake, a great reward for his – already too much – tumultuous day.

To Allen's surprise, everything went exceptionally well. Except for the fact that Kanda wasn't paying any intention to him and wasn't in the slightest interested in helping him finding his feet. Hopefully, Allen had incredible resources. And a faculty to adapt unrivalled – _thank you Cross_ – for someone his age.

The customers were kind of normal. And polite by the way.

In the end, his shift ended without any remarquable mistake, just a few slowdowns in memorising all the commands, and Allen got so caught in this that he was shocked when the clock indicated noon.

Back to the locker room, he sighed in relief, changing back to his casual clothes. He only had one hour before class started but it was plenty of time to grab something to eat on the way.

Thinking of food, he still had something to ask for. He had watched greedily all pieces of cake ordered by his customers and couldn't wait to test one.

He headed to the kitchen and opened the door. Jeryy wasn't alone anymore and the place was clearly busy. One guy was slicing fruits while another was washing the dishes. The later got called by Jeryy to help him steadying a mountain of strawberries on a shortcake.

Allen stepped aside, trying to not get in the way when Jeryy finally noticed him.

“Oh Allen-kun, your share is on the counter on the left. As promised” he shot him a genuine smile “See you next time then. I'm looking forward to your feedback on this”

Allen mirrored his smile “I'm sure it's extraordinary” he grabbed the piece of cake carefully wrapped in one of the café's towel and waved goodbye to the kitchen crew “Have a good day !”

*

When he reached the school, Allen was close to fifteen minutes ahead of time. Perfect. He spotted an empty bench near the building and unpacked the little present.

The whipped cream on the top had deflated but it still looked good. It smelt of cherry and chocolate and fricking happiness. Everything involving sugar always made Allen's mouth watering.

He took a bite and felt immediately owerwhelmed by the complex flavors of the cake. Jeryy didn't even put any alcool in it. It was so conforting, matching his creator's personnality. It took all Allen's stress away and he smiled, satisfied.

Maybe he could get used to the place after all. He just had to catch a spare key of the front door, to avoid any bad joke from Kanda.

For the first time, he was almost looking forward to the next working day.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, I really really want to eat a black forest cake... damn me !
> 
> Jeryy seems to be the best cook of all times, maybe he escaped from Food Wars ? ^^'
> 
> Thanks for reading ! I will try to update this story more often, feel free to suggest any kind of ideas ;)
> 
> Berry


End file.
